America's new top model ...or top skeleton

[Laterider21958]

It's unfortunate that these misguided girls are going to be suffering bone density problems in the future (not to mention having their hormones stuffed). There is only one way to protest about this abuse of young, easily influenced people - refuse to watch the program and refuse to purchase merchandise promoted in such a way. Big business hates to lose money.

[Melstar]

It seems like the High Fashion side of modelling is always getting negative publicity. What irks me is that there are people out there who are using this as an avenue to justify their unhealthy living. They are happy to sit back with their Big Mac and complain about stick thin models on runways with a size 0.

Its fine if the model is obviously anorexic, but those who have a healthy BMI but are slimmer than your average get lumped together with them as well - all because of their insecurity.

I am,of course, referring here to people who choose not to exercise but instead opt to justify their unhealthy eating habits, lifestyle and existence.

Oh, and it seems like many of them smoke too. Another healthy lifestyle promotion.

Yea, there's sort of a smoking culture going on among models unfortunately due to the inherent nature of the job.

The whole industry is really inefficient and slow and most of the time you're just rushing to wait in order to wait to rush.

So there's literally heaps of free time to kill. And if you consider the fact that there are heaps of 16-17 year old girls coming in young and impressionable, its quite easy to get sucked in to the whole drugs/smoking/partying thing.
And did I mention that smoking kills appetite when you haven't had breakfast and its near dinner time?

I'm not condoning why most of them smoke, nor am I giving an excuse for it. Its just the way it is. But its not all as bad as what people make it out to be.

[lph]

I dunno - personally I wouldn't want to look like this, but I don't really think she looks awful, but definitely very very skinny. I have a friend who is very slender and struggles to put on weight - in periods of stress her ribs poke out and she feels she looks like she's straight out of a concentration camp. My dh is very skinny too, "built like a bird." Both of them "could use" some more weight, but that's just the way they are. And they're both healthy, and beautiful in their own way (Oh, and they eat loads.) The problem with models this skinny is that for most people, *trying* to look like that would indeed bring on health problems.

I just wish that the ideal of beauty was a bit more varied - rounder women, muscular women, small women - instead of this onetrack idea of tall, thin women with no curves at all. Acceptance of a wider range would be nice, especially if there could be more focus on health rather than dress size.

And happiness - what's with the "I'm so pissed off I can hardly speak"-stare?

[Meg McKilty]

she has no curves, only bone bumps!

In the words of Reno! 911: "Don't nothin' like bones but a dog."

[Tuckervill]

I hate these threads......

Why?

Karen

[silver]

Why?

Karen

because I'm a skinny disgusting bag of bones with a boney butt

[Tri Girl]

because I'm a skinny disgusting bag of bones with a boney butt

But.... you're fit and healthy. If you're a bag of bones who exercises and is healthy, then it's OK. Just those bag of bones who are sooo unhealthy that we're referring to (although maybe you feel you're being lumped in that category- which is a shame).

Me and my athletic build (for me that means big hips, thighs, and calves) would love to shimmy into a size 4, but then I'd lose my cycling legs. Not worth it- I'll take my curvy swervy healthy body anyday.

[missymaya]

I actually watched part of the show last night and one of the things that really really bothered me (either than the whole super skinny aspect) was that the third woman kicked off apparently was kicked off because she looked "too old". What the heck?!! She looked as "old" as me and I'm 23!! They said they could see beginning signs of aging with the "wrinkles" by her eyes. Uh, what wrinkles? Am I blind or something. And even if she did have wrinkles, what's wrong with that. It's normal and everyone gets them. And yes, there are wome out there that look good and have wrinkles.
As for the whole weight issue, I've had a weight problem my whole life and when I was younger (more naive and not as self-confident as I am now) I had an eating disorder to counter my weight. I looked to the women in magazines because I thought that they were "perfect". Boy, was I wrong. It took a long time for me to get over that and it still takes a lot of work for me to not to fall into that trap. Shows like this have great potential to change the way things are and they started out in the right direction (they had 2 "plus size" models, but they got kicked off). But, unfortunately, it's just running in the same direction as the industry. I want to see change! I want to see something different too and maybe going against the grain will accomplish both.

[stacie]

Several months ago I was reading the paper with my husband. Two high school senior athletes were being profiled. The male athlete looked like he could pose on Men's health. The female athlete looked like a female athlete. My husband pointed to the pictures and commented about how fit he looked while she did not. I was shocked. Somewhere along the way he started believing a fit woman looks like a super model.
Women are no different. I am constantly asked to get my husband's opinion on training although I could probably help them more. We recently had an open house and people asked my about my "pro" athlete husband. Another neighbor asked me to ask my husband where she should buy running shoes. I had just completed a marathon. This happens constantly and I really believe it's because he looks like the ideal fit man and I look like a female athlete. They think I should look like a model.
Stop watching this garbage. It has to get in your head when you are constantly subjecting yourself to it.

[Jolt]

But.... you're fit and healthy. If you're a bag of bones who exercises and is healthy, then it's OK. Just those bag of bones who are sooo unhealthy that we're referring to (although maybe you feel you're being lumped in that category- which is a shame).

And a healthy skinny person usually doesn't look like the aforementioned unhealthy type. I'm on the skinnier side as well but have never had anyone think that I have an eating disorder (at least no one that I know of). The same is likely the case for you.

[CR400]

You know in a way this is so ironic. We participate in a sport where usually the thinnest person wins the race up the 3 mile hill. Where if you weigh more then 115 pounds you are going to get dropped on any climb by all the other small ladies. Which are by the way healthy for there weight usually altough most of us will never see 12 to15% body fat. Ladies we participat in an anorexic producing sport everytime we get on our bikes.
It just some of us will never be the 105 5'3 elite hill climber. Its just as bad for the men I have a friend who looks great at 190 pounds 6'1 (almost to thin sometimes) but he wants to weigh 175 pounds so he has a better chance climbing. He is already super fast but can't beat the cycling ideal up a hill 5'10 and 150 or less.
So hay put that woman on a bike for a few months she'll put on a little muscle in her legs and likely beat most of us up that 3 mile climb because she has us beat power to weight.

[michelem]

Hmmm . . . CR400 . . . true to an extent, but she's going to have to fuel/refuel herself properly in order to build that muscle and endurance necessary to support her cycling! And, who knows, maybe she does (we don't know the particulars about this "Top Model" - whether she is "naturally" thin or starves herself or whatnot). I'm just pointing out that in order to really succeed at this sport, it is largely dependant on how well one cares for oneself (food, water, rest, etc.) in addition to training. Big, small, doesn't matter if you're not caring for yourself in a healthful manner. The big (heavier) guys were blowing me away this past Saturday 'cause I didn't hydrate/fuel properly . . .

[LBTC]

One word... yuck

I'll take my curves over her boney butt any day

Nice curves, meridian! I'd take those arms over the supermodel's any day!

It's interesting to see this thread now. About a year and a half ago we had to cut our costs way down in order to move, change jobs, buy a house in a more expensive real estate market, etc. One of the costs I cut was buying magazines each month - FitnessRx, Oxygen and YogaJournal. A few weeks ago, we stopped by the magazine rack and I took a look in the mags I used to buy. I was shocked at how skinny the models all were! The fitness magazines, back when I used to buy them, used to have pictures of women who had muscles! The last magazine I looked through I couldn't believe any of them could sustain a physical effort for any length of time. I mean, really, YogaJournal would typically have had the skinnier models of the three magazines. I'm happy to say they haven't seemed to change their standard, but it seems so strange for the YJ models to seem to be bulkier and more muscular than the fitness models!

And this couldn't be at a worse time for me. I admit I am influenced by images of women - I often wonder how I compare, whether I could wear that, etc.... So now, while I'm forced to not exercise intently, where my food intake is completely messed up (and therefore I spend a good deal of time eating things I can eat that aren't necessarily healthy - can anyone say Pamela's chocolate brownies?), so my body is definitely *not* in the shape it was or where I'd like it to be, these images are really confidence eroding. *sigh* Not the super model - she's shockingly thin; but the fitness ones are a drag for me right now.

Hugs and butterflies, everyone,
~T~

[Jolt]

And then there are those of us who ARE about that 5'3", 105 lb. size (well, actually an inch shorter) but STILL stink at hills...size isn't everything, not by a long shot. I think probably most people on this forum would drop me on a climb, even if they're heavier!

[greentea]

I can relate to how Silver feels about the thread.

I'm 5'5" and 111 lbs (used to weigh less before having 2 kids). I constantly get comments about how skinny I am (since I was 8), good intention or not. Some even say it with a "you must have a problem" undertone. I eat LOTS and have no medical problem. It's just how I was born.

From my point of view, I don't comment on people's weight, hips, thighs or whatever body parts that I get commented on. But what makes it right to comment on a skinny person? You wouldn't say to an overweight person "Oh, you're so big", right? Or would you post a pic of an overweight person and say how horrible it is?

I totally understand where the OP is coming from, just offering a different POV.